Two more CPA projects sent on to town meeting

By MATTHEW FERREIRA

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southcoasttoday.com

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Posted Jan. 17, 2013 at 12:01 PM

Posted Jan. 17, 2013 at 12:01 PM

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By MATTHEW FERREIRA

Special Writer

MIDDLEBORO — Two more projects proposed under the Community Preservation Act — one a request from the First Unitarian Universalist Church to fund the refurbishing of an original Woodberry and Harris organ dating back to the 1800s and the other a study related to a proposal to replace windows and install HVAC systems in the main buildings of the Middleborough Historical Museum — have been approved by the Community Preservation Committee for presentation to voters at the annual town meeting in April.

The committee met last week to follow up on the two projects, which were discussed at the board's meeting in November.

The organ in question for the refurbishment project proposed by the First Unitarian Church is known as a "tracker pipe organ" made by the Boston based Woodberry and Harris organ company in 1890. It is one of the remaining eight to nine such instruments known to exist unaltered from their original, non-electronic functions. Parts that need to be replaced in order to keep the organ working include new bushings, bellows, and tiny leather fixings called key-tails requiring work by a specialized organ repair company.

There was considerable discussion last week as to whether or not the project should be funded, since the organ is owned by a church and is inside a public building. For purposes of clarity some CPC members had done extensive research prior to the meeting to be certain that the project does not violate the distinction between church and state. Various case studies led the majority to conclude that because of the organ's historic value the project was in fact eligible for CPA funding.

The applicants originally request $6,000, but representatives reported already having raised $5,000 of the total $10,000 the project requires. With some members of the CPC in disagreement that CPA funds should pay 60 percent of the project's cost, committee member Mo Franco made a motion to reduce the amount to $5,000. That motion was approved unanimously.

Due to a number of disadvantages stemming from inadequate climate conditioning capabilities at the Middleborough Historical Association's Jackson Street museum buildings, MHA President Cynthia McNair submitted a request for CPA funding for a project to install heating and A/C units and new windows.

The amount of CPA funding requested for the project was $43,062 of the $59,390 estimated total cost.

After considerable discussion, the committee suggested in November that the association hire a consultant to make recommendations on historically accurate windows and ensure that the HVAC system proposed would adequately serve the buildings and protect the museum's collections.

CPC member Ted Eayrs, a restoration specialist, said such a preliminary step is common practice in the historic preservation field.

"Since the CPC has to basically be responsible for wise expenditure of taxpayer money we felt that an architect or engineer could basically look at and approve the system (the MHA) has submitted to make sure it's going to work," said Mr. Eayrs of the decision. "I've been involved in projects like this for the past 40 years and all of them have had a professional architect or engineer involved ... We're not looking for this to not be funded by the CPC; it just has to be designed in such a way that is justified from the standpoint of the town's investing money in it."

Both projects will be presented at an annual town meeting that has been tentatively set for April 22.

Also approved by the committee for presentation at town meeting are a $40,000 request from the developers of the Shoe Shop Place affordable housing complex on Peirce Street and $20,000 toward a $60,000 window replacement project at the Nemasket Apartments senior housing complex.

The money for the Shoe Shop Place project is the local matching contribution to leverage a $1 million state grant and is contingent upon the grant being approved.